Process of making wheels.



- A. THOMPSON. PROCESS OF MAKING WHEELS. APPLIOATIQN FILED JULY 22, 1908.

980322; Patented DBG.27,1910,

nnrrn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED THOMPSON, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOBI, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE ERIE WHEEL COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A COR- PORATION OF OHIO.

PROCESS OF MAKING WHEELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2'7, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Processes of Making lVheels, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to pressed metal wheels, and more particularly to a process for making the same, the general object of the invention being the production of a wheel of maximum strength and minimum cost.

The above and additional objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wheel constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a central transverse section through the hub and rim of the wheel, said view also showing in elevatlon one end of the axle for the wheel; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the blank from which the hub and spokes are formed, said blank being oft-set at its center and having its ends slitted so as to form the spokes; Fig. A is a side elevation of the blank shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the blank shown in Fig. 3 rolled into a tube with collars at the ends of the hub; Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the end of one of the spokes secured into a metal rim and illustrating the manner in which the spokes are secured to such rim when notire is used: and Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the axle with a nut for holding the wheel in place.

Taking up a description of the invention by the use of referencecharacters, 1 repre sents the hub portion of the wheel and 2 and 3 the spokes. These parts are formed out of the single blank that is shown in Fig. 3, in which blank l is a plane portion at the center of the blank that is adapted to be rolled into a tube so as to form the barrel portion of the hub. Extending from the plane portion 1 at one end thereof is a series of tongues 2, which constitute the spokes 2, the same being formed by simply slitting the blank from its end substantially to the portion 1 In so slitting the blank, no part of the metal is removed except at the extreme ends of the tongues where the center of each tongue is reduced in size by the removal of a slight portion of the metal 011 each side thereof, as shown at 4, said reduced portions forming short tongues which are adapted to be projected through the rim of the wheel and to be riveted thereto. On the opposite side of the plane portion 1 are tongues 8 from which the spokes 3 are formed, said tongues also having the reduced portions or tenons 4 by which the spokes are secured to the rim of the wheel.

It is desirable when rolling the blank into the form shown in Fig. 5 to have the plane portion 1 form a tube of larger diameter than the tube that is formed by the tongues 2 3 and for this reason the said plane portion is offset or raised from the plane of the said tongues, as shown in Fig. 4. Then, therefore, the blank is rolled into the tube shown in Fig. 5, the hub part 1 is of larger diameter than the tubular structure formed by the parts 2, 8*, so that a slight shoulder is formed at the end of the hub portion against which collars 5 are adapted to rest, said collars being inserted over the tongues 2 3. After these collars are in position, the tongues 2 and 8 are bent outwardly into the position shown in Fig. 2 so as to become the spokes of the wheel. As the tongues 2 and 3 are directly opposite each other, it will be necessary in making a wheel with a comparatively small number of spokes to bend the tongues tangentially with respect to the hub ends, to cause the spokes 2 to be staggered with respect to spokes 3. One set of tongues will preferably be bent in one direction and the other set in the opposite direction, whereby this staggering of the spokes will be secured with a comparatively slight bend of the inner ends of the spokes with respect to the hub. The outer ends of the spokes are inserted through spoke apertures in the rim 6 or 6 as shown in Figs. 2 and 6. As appears from Figs. 3'and A, the tongues 2 and 3*, out of which the spokes are formed, are of precisely the same length, from which it follows that when the spokes are bent into the proper position, as shown is always necessary in cases where the spokes of the wheel are of built-up construction.

In the form shown in Fig. 2, the rim 6 is bent into a crescent shape, in order to receive a rubber tire 7 the tongue portions t on the ends of the spokes being inserted through spoke apertures in the rim and riveted in the bottom of the latter. In the form shown in Fig. 6, the said tongue portions 4 extend through the metal rim 6 and are riveted against the outer side of the rim.

Through the hub portion 1, I insert av closely fitting tubular bearing 8, the same being preferably formed of sheet metal and having a circumferential head 9 near the inner end of the hub, the bearing being forced into the hub until the said bead abuts against the end of the latter, thus forming a stop for the bearing. Over the extreme end of the tubular bearing, I place a ring or washer 10, which is forced up against the head 9 and held in place by upsetting or riveting the end of the tubular bearing against the ring. To prevent the wheel from working off the bearing, the latter may be slightly upset or riveted at 11. V

In the construction shown in Fig. 2, the axle 12, having the spindle 13, is provided with a spring retaining catch 14 which en gages over the ring 10 and thus prevents the wheel from coming off the spindle.

As shown in Fig. 7, the spindle 13 may be modified, as shown at 13 by extending the same beyond the hub and threading the extended portion for the reception of a nut 15, said nut engaging with the outer end of the hub and holding the wheel in position.

WVhen a nutless construct-ion is used, as in Fig. 2, the end of the hub is preferably hidden by a cap-plate 16, which may be secured in place by tongues which are bent over to embrace the adjacent ring 5.

Having thus described my invention,.I claim:

1. The process of forming a pressed metal wheel which consists in making a plurality of slits in each end of a sheet metal blank, the slits at the ends of the blank being of equal length and terminating on each side of the center so as to leave a plane central portion out of which the hub of the wheel is to be formed, pressing the said plane central portion out of the plane of the remainder of the blank, rolling the blank in a direction at right angles to the said slits with the pressed-out central portion on the outer side of the roll so as to give a diameter to the hub greater than the diameter of the ends of the rolled blank, inserting over each end of the rolled blank and against the central portion thereof a metal ring,

A bending outwardly the end portions of the 7 blank so as to form spokes for the wheel out of those parts of the blank which are included between the adjacent slits, and securing the outer ends of the spokes to the rlm of the wheel.

2. The process of forming a pressed metal wheel which consists in making a-plurality of slits in each end of a sheet metal blank, the slits at thevends of the blank being of equal length and terminating on each side of the center so as to leave a plane central portion out of which the hub of the wheel is to be formed, pressing the said plane eter to the hub greater than the diameter of the ends of the rolled blank, inserting over each end of the rolled blank and against the central portion thereof a metal ring, bending outwardly the end portions of the blank so as to form spokes for the wheel out of those parts of the blank which are included between the adjacent slits, securing the outer ends of the spoke to the rim of the wheel, and inserting within the hub portion of the wheel a tubular bearing, for the purpose specified.

3. The process of forming a pressed metal wheel which consists in making a plurality of slits in an end of a sheet metal blank, said slits being of equal length, pressing the unslitted portion of said blank out of the plane of the remainder of the blank, rolling the blank in a direction at right angles to the said slits with the pressed-out portion on the outer side oft-he roll so as to give a diameter to the hub portion which is greater than the diameter of the end of the rolled blank, inserting over the end of the blank which is adjacent to the slits a metal ring, bending outwardly the slitted end portion of the blank to form spokes, and securing the outer ends of the spokes to the rim of the wheel.

4. The process of forming a pressed metal wheel, said process consisting in making a plurality of slits in the end of a sheet metal blank, said slits being of equal length, forming an abutment near an end of the unslitted portion of said blank, rolling the blank in a direction at right angles to the said slits, with the abutment on the outer side of the roll, inserting over the end of the blank which is adjacent to the slits a metal ring, bending outwardly the slitted end portion of the blank to form spokes, and

securing the outer ends of the spokes to the rim of the wheel.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature 1n the presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

WV. H. F. NICK, DELIA HORNING. 

